What does YOUR future hold?

Series: The Fall of Mankind

Title: What does your future hold?

Date: Oct.21, 2018

Scripture: Genesis 3

Intro: Today we will conclude our sermon series, “The Fall of Mankind.” Over the past 2 weeks we have looked at the actions which lead to the fall and we have seen the consequences that follow those actions. This week we will what the world looks like after the fall.

The world before the Fall was perfect; it was without sin, it was without defect, it was paradise. But now, after the Fall, things were different. The world that Adam and Eve once knew no longer exists. The world took a drastic change after the Fall. What would the future hold for them?

Even though sin came into the world and made the future look bleak God had a plan that offers hope.

* Read – Genesis 3:1 – 24

* Our sermon for today is called, “What does YOUR future hold?”

Main Points:

Pain

Physical

Delivering babies would be painful

Working would be painful

Aches, bruises, breaks, fatigue, thirst, hunger, sweat, cuts, etc.

Sickness, disease, impairments

Colds, Flu, Cancer, Autism, Vision, Hearing, Mental

Emotional

Before the Fall mankind had perfect control over their emotions but after the fall that changed. Our emotions are now tainted by sin.

Before the fall the Adam and Eve would talk and discuss and everything was fine. But after the fall, Adam would say something that hurt the feelings of Eve. Eve would get upset and say something mean to Adam and then Adam would get defensive and respond with something just as mean. What just took place? Emotional pain!

Anger, Bitterness, Wrath, Sadness, Fear, Sorrow

Anytime people are involved in relationships emotional pain will occur.

Spouse

Children/Parents

Co-Workers/Boss

Friends

Family – Physical and Church

Spiritual

After the Fall the relationship which Adam and Eve enjoyed with God was now broken. That special relationship they once enjoyed was now in need of repair.

Spiritual pain:

Loneliness – No longer anchored to your Creator

Emptiness – We have a void that needs filled

Brokenness – No personal relationship with God

Even today we still battle these types of pain!

Frustration

Before the Fall whatever Adam and Eve did was successful.

Naming the animals; Keeping the garden; Marriage; Relationship with God

After the Fall things would not always be so successful.

Planting seeds would not always mean they would grow

When the plants did grow – Weeds would come

Thorns and Thistles

Communication between the husband and wife

Raising children

Building things

Even today we battle frustrations!

Regret

Regret is defined as:

Feeling or having remorse for an: act, fault or disappointment

To think with a sense of loss

Do you think that Adam and Eve had some regret?

I think they probably did. They are the only two people who can honestly say, “The good old days were better than today!” They could honestly say that because their good old days were perfect!

After the fall I believe that Adam and Eve lived with some regret.

They felt remorse for their actions

They were disappointed that they brought sin into the world

They probably thought much about life before the Fall.

Even today we must battle regret!

Right now the future does not look that great for Adam and Eve. It is going to be filled with PAIN, FRUSTRATION and REGRET. This sounds a lot like what takes place today as well. The future for many of us is going to be filled with PAIN, FRUSTRATION and REGRET.

Thankfully, there is one more point I need to show you today. The final point for today is HOPE!

Hope

Despite the disobedience, the sin, the blaming, the pain, the frustration and the regret there is HOPE.

Hope was in the midst of all this turmoil.

Look at verse 15 with me because in this verse we find HOPE.

Read

Those know-a-lot theologians have labeled this verse the, PROTOEVAGELIUM. That fancy word simply means FIRST GOSPEL. In verse 15 of chapter 3 of Genesis we have the very first mention of the gospel.

In this verse we have God letting mankind know that HE is going to provide someone to fix what they have just broke.

Breakdown the verse:

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman = There would be hatred between the snake and women. But it also carries a double meaning and it is this > Satan will hate the nation of Israel and those who keep the commandments of God.

And between your seed and her seed; = Those who follow Satan and those who come from the lineage of Israel.

He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” = The Messiah will crush Satan!

As the pages of history turned God would reveal more of the gospel to mankind.

Isaiah 7:14 – The Messiah would be born of a virgin (Supernatural birth)

Micah 5:2 – The Messiah would be born in the city of Bethlehem

Matthew 1:21 – The Messiah would save His people from their sins

But, from the very beginning mankind knew that there was going to come a man born of a woman to crush Satan. I believe this is why in the early genealogies people were always excited to have a son because that son might be the ONE.

Right after mankind made a mess of God’s perfect creation God gave them HOPE. A Messiah was going to come and fix what they had broken.

Romans chapter 5 will help us better understand the HOPE mentioned here in Genesis 3

Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned – …

Romans 5:15 – But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to many.

God’s grace (favor) is greater than man’s transgression. God’s gift of FORGIVENESS is found in and through Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:18-19 – So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

Because Jesus died upon a cross and rose again for us we can be made right with God the Father! Our sins can be washed away and we can be forgiven for breaking God’s perfect picture.

These verses tell us of our present HOPE in the midst of PAIN, FRUSTRATION and REGRET.

Chapter 21 of Revelation speaks of our future hope

Revelation 21:1-7 – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”

Closing: Hope is available even in the midst of this crazy, sin filled world! There is HOPE to be found and it is found in JESUS CHRIST. Jesus provides us with a present hope and that is we can be FORGIVEN of our sin. Jesus provides us with a future hope of one day fixing all that we have broken. We will all face PAIN, FRUSTRATION and REGRET. How do you want to face them: with NO hope or HOPE? The question remains, “What does your future hold?”